Iridescent
by Gravity-Chan
Summary: Even when she didn't want him there, he was always there for her. Nalu songfic/One-Shot


**Just a little One-Shot I came up with while listening to Iridescent by Linkin Park. Such a good song! Anyway, I hope you like it!**

**EDIT: I had to take out the song lyrics because apparently having song lyrics in a fanfic is "not allowed" and "against forum policy". Whatever. In my first draft they will remain :P If you want the lyrics, look them up.**

* * *

{ N }

**Iridescent**

{ L }

* * *

Lucy Heartfilia frowned as she stared at the photo in her hands. There she was, a nine-year-old girl, her bright brown eyes sparkling as she sat atop her father's shoulders. Upon her father's face was an impossibly happy smile, something Lucy hadn't seen for a long time now. In the background stood a woman, her golden hair wrapped in a tight bun, a serene smile on her face. How long had it been since this picture was taken? Eight years? It seemed like longer than that.

Lucy blinked, a teardrop falling onto the picture's surface and sliding down the clear glass that protected the paper underneath. I'm crying, she realized, but she didn't wipe away the tears. Instead, she let them fall, small sobs wracking her body. It had been far too long since she was able to mourn in private. Eight years since Lucy's mother passed away, and one year since her husband joined her. "Mother, Father, can you see me now?" Lucy whispered as she brushed the tears from the now foggy glass.

She let the picture frame fall from her hands as the emotions inside her overflowed, her tears spilling freely and staining her skirt as they fell into her lap. She cupped her face in her hands to muffle her sobs and cried freely, letting her pent-up sadness out.

She felt so alone, she didn't even know how to react anymore. Her family was dead, long gone, and while her friends were great, they couldn't fill the gaping hole in her heart that she felt in that moment. She had never told them how her parents' deaths had affected her. That she was slowly dying inside, that she was shriveling, like a plant left in the blazing sun. If they knew, she knew they would try everything they could to make her feel better.

Lucy didn't want that. She didn't want to forget. Forgetting the pain meant forgetting the happiness as well, for without hardship there can be no joy. She tried her hardest to look forward, and in moments where she was distracted, she could almost forget the darkness that laid inside her. She did her very best to put on a brave face for her friends, to show them that there was nothing for them to be afraid of concerning her, that she was alright and that she was a survivor.

How long could she keep up a mask like that?

She sighed, glancing at the calendar on her wall. It was July 7th, X792, but she didn't feel like it was a happy occasion. Instead she just wished the day would end.

Lucy sighed once more and picked up the photo, cleaning it carefully with the arm of her sweatshirt and replacing it on her bedside table. Now wasn't the time to be sad. She had to go to the guild today. If she didn't, someone would surely come looking for her, Most likely Natsu.

Lucy stood up, somewhat reluctantly, and went into the bathroom for a quick shower. The hot water burned pleasantly on her skin, and she felt rather good as she stepped out and got dressed. She tied her hair into twin pigtails on both sides of her head and slipped her keys and whip to her belt as usual before heading out. She headed out of her apartment and down Strawberry Street towards the guild at the end of the long road.

Lucy hummed a tune to herself, but it was a sad sound, not at all the happy tune she usually sung. She smiled a bit when the fisherman teased her about walking on the wall by the river, glad that at least some things were constant.

Finally the guild's doors loomed in front of her. She paused before pushing open the door, ducking as a chair went flying over her head. She gasped, her eyes wide, as it smashed into pieces behind her, scattering on the clean streets.

"Lucy! Are you alright?" The unmistakable voice of the guild's resident pyromaniac and, surprisingly, Lucy's best friend, called over the noise of the guild. Lucy looked up to see the pink-haired man weaving through the crowd of brawling mages towards her, a concerned expression on his face. "Shoot, I didn't mean to almost hit you! I was aiming for Gray!"

Lucy felt anger replacing her surprise, and she growled threateningly at Natsu. "You threw that chair?!" she cried seethingly. "You could have killed me, you pink bastard!"

Gray snickered from where he was sitting off to the side, and Natsu flinched. "Pink..." he murmured sulkily, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, Luce-"

"Don't you 'I'm sorry, Luce' me!" Lucy interrupted. On a normal day she would have told him off and given him a good whooping for trying to skewer her with a chair leg, but today was a particularly moody day for her, for reasons she did not feel like sharing, and right now all she wanted to do was leave and go back to her apartment to sulk in solitude. So, without another word, she pushed past Natsu and towards the bar, where Mira waited, looking apologetic.

"You know he doesn't mean it," Mira insisted as she poured Lucy a glass of her favorite drink. "He cares about you, you know."

Lucy sighed as she slumped down, resting her head on her arms. "I know, I'm just not in a good mood today," she confessed. "It's a sad day for Lucy Heartfilia."

Mira gave her an odd look and opened her mouth to say something, but Lucy gave her a half-forced smile. "Don't worry about it," she told the barmaid. "I'll be alright by tomorrow."

Mira shrugged slightly and placed the pink drink in front of Lucy. "If you say so, I won't pry," she conceded, picking up a rag to wipe a spot from the countertop. "Just don't be too hard on Natsu, alright?"

"Alright," Lucy agreed. She took a sip of her drink, which was fruity with a hint of tang, and the taste of sweet strawberries made her feel better already. She hummed contentedly as she set the glass back down, stretching briefly. "Thanks, Mira," she told the white-haired beauty before standing up again. When she turned, however, she bumped into something solid, and looked up to see Natsu standing in front of her, a sheepish smile on his face. Lucy frowned. "Do you want something?" she asked, trying to sound angry, but not too angry.

"I wanted to apologize... again... please don't be angry, Luce, I'm sorry," Natsu said, his dark eyes pleading with her. He's cute when he makes that face, Lucy realized, and she blushed lightly at the thought. She'd been feeling odd around her salmon-haired best friend lately, though she wasn't quite sure what it was.

Lucy wanted to be mad at Natsu right now, but the look he gave her was too much. She sighed and gave him a half-smile. "Okay, you're forgiven," she said, and a broad grin stretched across Natsu's face.

The tall man wrapped Lucy in a bear hug, and the blonde's face went red with shock. It's not that this was an unusual occurrence; Natsu would often give her hugs or put his arm over her shoulders in a friendly manner, but somehow this felt different, like something with her or with Natsu had changed since the last time he'd hugged her like this.

After a moment Natsu released her, the grin still on his face. His grin disappeared and became a frown soon after, and he glanced at Lucy curiously. "Are you alright?" he asked. "Your face is red. Are you sick?"

Lucy considered arguing, then realized that this was the ideal excuse to leave the guild early. "Well, I do feel a little under the weather," she said quickly. "Perhaps I'll go home and rest for a while." she turned hastily and left the guild, leaving a very puzzled Natsu behind to sort out what had just happened.

* * *

Lucy curled up in her bed, throwing the covers over her head. The guild had been a welcome distraction from her pain for a little while, but she just couldn't deal with her crazy friends when she had so much to think about today. She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling a tear fall from her eye and trail across the bridge of her nose. She sniffed and sat up, brushing the droplet away, though she knew it was futile, that she would keep crying anyway.

"Lucy." Lucy's head jerked up at the sound of her name being called. She didn't dare turn around, though she obew already who was behind it.

"Natsu..." she murmured. She honestly hadn't expected the dragon slayer to follow her home. Was he really that concerned about her? The thought made her feel flustered.

"What's the matter?" Natsu asked, sitting down on the bed beside her. Lucy replied and told him it was nothing. "It's not nothing," he insisted. "You've been crying. I can smell your tears." his voice softened some, and he touched Lucy's shoulder gently. "Please talk to me, Lucy. I hate it when you're upset. Was it because of earlier?"

Lucy sighed and shook her head, wiping her cheeks of her tears before turning to face Natsu. "No, it's not that..." she answered, and glanced at her calendar, a sad look on her face. "Today is a sad day, that's all."

Natsu nodded. "It's a sad day for me, too," he said. "You remember, Igneel disappeared on this day, fifteen years ago." he paused, his arm snaking around Lucy's shoulders comfortingly. "Why is it sad for you?" he asked softly.

Lucy hesitated, unsure if she wanted to share her issues with someone else, but Natsu wasn't just another mage, was he? He was her best friend, and, although she would never admit it out loud, her first love. "Fifteen years ago today my mother died," she answered finally. "Then one year ago today my father died. Strange how they had the same death date, only fourteen years apart." she ended the sentence in a near-whisper, her eyes downcast and a look on her face that could only be described as the face of someone who has gone through too much pain in her short life.

Natsu's heart ached for his friend as he saw her sad expression. He squeezed her shoulders gently and gave her a small grin as she turned to face him. "But you're parents are together again. I bet they're really happy to be together again," he murmured.

Lucy managed a tiny smile in return, and she reached up to touch his hand lightly, which rested on her shoulder. The two spent the rest of the day in each other's company, talking and joking, sharing childhood memories, simply being together. Lucy laid her head on Natsu's shoulder sleepily at the end of the day. "Thanks," she whispered. "I needed to talk to someone."

"That's what nakama are for," Natsu replied, and stood up. "Well, if you're alright, then I should head home. It's getting late." he started for the door, but paused when he felt a tug on his sleeve.

Turning, he saw Lucy clutching his sleeve, an odd expression on her face, like she was embarrassed. "Will you... stay with me tonight?" she asked softly. "I always have nightmares on this night..."

Natsu turned and gave Lucy a gentle smile. "If it'll make you feel better, then of course I will," he said. He climbed into the bed with Lucy and snuggled up against her like he liked to do at night. "Thanks," she whispered, her head tucked into the crook of his neck.

Natsu smiled and stroked his teammate's soft hair. "No problem," he replied softly. She blonde sighed contentedly and her eyes fluttered shut, and after a while her breathing slowed and soft snores came from her. Natsu gave a soft smile as her sleeping form before leaning over and kissing her on the top of her head. "Sweet dreams," he murmured, and his own eyes, heavy from sleepiness, closed, and he fell asleep with his arm draped over Lucy's waist.

Lucy had no nightmares that night.


End file.
